Eleanor Mohammed, RPP, MCIP, EP is the President of the Commonwealth Association of Planners, Co-Chair of the UN-Habitat Professionals Forum, and the Founder/Principal of Strategic and Resilient Together. She is an executive leader with over 17 years of public, private, and not-for-profit sector experience. As a passionate professional who regularly speaks and presents at international events, Eleanor is a champion for the planning profession, climate action, equity and inclusion, healthy communities, technology adaptation, and sustainability.

 Eleanor has served as the President the Canadian Institute of Planners and the President of the Alberta Professional Planners Institute. She holds a Masters with Distinction in Town and Country Planning from the University of the West of England, Bristol, U.K. and has an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto with a specialization in Environmental Management.

She is not afraid to rise to any challenge and is a natural collaborative leader!

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell is the 29th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. As the representative of Her Majesty The Queen, Ms. Dowdeswell carries out constitutional and ceremonial duties and facilitates healthy citizen and community engagement.

Ms. Dowdeswell has served the public interest at all orders of government and in the private sector. She contributed globally as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. In Canada her diverse portfolios ranged from education and culture to environment and the management of complex public enquiries. She was the founding President and CEO of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, and later the President and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies. She has served on the boards of Canadian and international corporate and non-profit organizations.

Since taking office in late 2014, Ms. Dowdeswell has challenged Ontarians to think deeply about their role not just as residents of a province, but as global citizens. Building resilience and sustainability through inclusive economic prosperity, environmental stewardship and social cohesion as well as safeguarding democracy have been the focus of her mandate.

Ms. Dowdeswell has a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics and teaching certificate from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Science in Behavioural Sciences from Utah State University. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of Ontario and the recipient of numerous distinctions and fellowships. She holds 11 honorary doctorates.

Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif (Malaysia) is the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), appointed at the level of Under-Secretary-General by the Secretary-General, following an election by the General Assembly on 22 December 2017. On 22 January 2018, Ms. Sharif assumed her post at UN-Habitat’s Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ms. Sharif holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Town Planning Studies from the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, UK and a Master of Science in Planning Studies from the Malaysia Science University. She has received several awards, including, “Planner of The Year 2014” by the Malaysian Institute of Planners, the 2016 Global Human Settlements Outstanding Contribution Award during Habitat III in Quito, for her contribution in sustainable planning in Seberang Perai and from the Penang State Government. On 11 January 2018, she received an award from the Malaysia Book of Records recognizing her for being the first Asian woman to be appointed as Executive Director of UN-Habitat.

Julie was a Labour and Co-operative Party Member of the European Parliament for the North West of England, covering Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester. As such she was a member of the European Parliamentary Labour Party and, in turn, part of the second largest group in the European Parliament, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Julie served on the Parliament's Culture & Education Committee, the Regional Development Committee and the Committee on Gender Equality and Women's Rights. She is also a member of the Labour Party's Policy Commission on Education and Children. Julie is an active campaigner for equal rights and social justice, and was previously an organizer for One Billion Rising, the global movement to raise awareness of violence against women and girls. First elected in May 2014, Julie previously had a long career in the cultural sector, working with marginalized communities using arts as a tool for wellbeing, empowerment and social change. Prior to being elected as an MEP, Julie had been working with partners in the EU and beyond for more than a decade. For instance, she was involved in an international delegation to Belfast to participate in an all-party discussion about the role of the arts in peace-building processes.

Reza Pourvaziry is an architect holding a master’s degree in Architecture as well as an urban researcher working in this field for over 25 years. His research focuses on the concept of architecture and process of design and sustainability which were presented in articles at international conferences and featured in newspaper. He established International Art & Architecture Research Association (IAARA) in 2002 to work and research about urban architecture about habitat and settlement with focus on sustainability. He has done architecture projects that he received international architecture awards, including world architecture community for Nashr Yadavaran Administrative Building and housing project for Atlas of unbuilt world by British Council. He was part of jury and steering committee and scientific committee of programs in the field of art & architecture and urbanism. He created different development projects and programs and started working as member of Steering Committee of UN-Habitat’s best practices since 2004.

He continues to work closely with UN-Habitat and was designated by under-secretary-general of UN and former Executive Director of UN-Habitat as First Global Advocate of UN-Habitat in 2016 and was introduced at 40th anniversary of UN-Habitat which was celebrated at Habitat III conference in Quito in 2016. He established Middle East Regional Center for Best Practise and Local Leadership in 2012 –2014. In 2014, Ministry of Housing and Urbanism of Iran recognized him as one of the contemporary architects in the book ‘contemporary architecture’ and since then he worked as president and co-founder of International City Leaders and he was designated for City Prosperity Initiative –Metropolitan Cities initiative by UN-Habitat. ICL and UN-Habitat work together on various research, workshops and conferences and one of the main publications is World Cities Report launched in 2016. At present he is chair of Urban Economy Forum working on urban architecture projects globally.

Fazileh Dadvar-Khani currently works at the Department of Geography (Geography and rural planning), University of Tehran. Fazileh does research in Gender studies, Women's empowerment, Renewable energy and Tourism planning. Her most recent publication is 'Gender-related analysis in the process of diffusion of entrepreneurship in rural areas Case study: Soolaghan Dehestan'.

Authored Books

Fazileh Dadvarkhani. "Gender and Development." : The Institute of cultural and social studies of ministry of Higher education of Iran., 2007.

Fazileh Dadvarkhani. "An Introduction to paradigm of Gender Geography." : Samt Publication, 2008.

Fazileh Dadvarkhani. "Introduction to Fundamental, approaches and models in Tourism Planning." Tehran: Mahkameh, 2016.

Fazileh Dadvarkhani. "Foundations of planning in changing rural space." Tehran: University of Tehran Press, 2018.